Article 8
Facilities and Services

Section 8.01

A. Room C-075 in Germantown will be an NTEU office. Room GB-116 in the Forrestal Building will continue to be an NTEU office. The normal furniture and existing telephones will remain in the rooms along with a secretarial desk and chair and one four-drawer locking file cabinet.

B. When requested by NTEU, NTEU will be provided approximately 150 square feet of office space for representational purposes in each satellite building which has at least 100 bargaining unit employees.

C. When requested, locks will be placed on office doors and/or lockable filing cabinets will be provided for all NTEU officers and stewards. The supervisor or other appropriate person, such as an administrative officer, will retain a key to locked offices. The key will be secured in a way that is acceptable to the NTEU officer/steward.

D. A small room will be dedicated for use by NTEU and DOE Headquarters Labor Relations for activities, such as stewards' private meetings with bargaining unit employees and management/NTEU meetings.

Section 8.02

The Employer will provide NTEU a reasonable amount of space to conduct ballot box elections pursuant to its bylaws.

Section 8.03

The Employer will provide NTEU access to available confidential offices or conference rooms for use in connection with its representational duties. Subject to safety and security requirements, NTEU will be permitted to use available auditoriums and conference rooms to conduct non-work hour meetings. Requests for the use of these facilities must be made as far in advance as possible and will include the time, date, and number of people expected to attend. Such requests will be forwarded to the DOE Headquarters Labor Relations. NTEU will be responsible for assuring that conference rooms or auditoriums are left in a clean and orderly condition.

Section 8.04

A. National representatives of NTEU visiting the Employer's premises will comply with appropriate security regulations. The DOE Headquarters Labor Relations will receive notice of the visit, including the organizational segment to be visited.

B. As requested by NTEU, the National President and up to two National Staff who frequently have NTEU representational business at DOE Headquarters will be provided by DOE with Building Access Only (BAO) badges. The request to Security for these badges will be routed through DOE's Collective Bargaining official. Badges will be relinquished when no longer used. NTEU will conform to normal DOE security requirements.

Section 8.05

A. NTEU representatives may use Employer facsimile transmission equipment (FAX) in connection with joint labor-management business at no cost. Receipt of facsimile documents will constitute "delivery" under this contract.

B. NTEU representatives may use Employer copying facilities in connection with joint labor-management business at no cost.

C. All NTEU Offices will be provided voice mail in those buildings where it is available.

D. NTEU will have access to the electronic mail system for representational purposes. Receipt of e:mail, as verified by return receipt, will be accepted as official communication between the Employer and NTEU. All NTEU users will comply with system usage requirements which the Employer establishes. When requested by the Chapter Presidents, the Employer agrees to furnish each NTEU representative with an address to use for representational communications. Communications from those addresses and chapter computers to other NTEU representative addresses, chapter computers, NTEU National office or bargaining unit employees will be created and maintained by NTEU; unauthorized Employer access to these e:mails is prohibited.

E. Each NTEU Chapter office will be provided a computer and related equipment, including fax, modem, printers, etc., comparable to the best available equipment currently used in Headquarters Labor Relations. Additionally, to the maximum extent allowable by law, both NTEU chapters will be provided access to the same automated information resources purchased and/or utilized by the Headquarters Labor Relations program, including, but not limited to, resources providing legal precedent and case law pertaining to Federal sector labor relations. Such access will not result in additional costs to the Employer.

F. The Employer will maintain a clearly titled and appropriately positioned link from its Internet site (http://www.doe.gov), and from each first tier intranet site, to the NTEU Chapters 213 and 228 web sites, upon request of the Chapters. The Chapters will be responsible for all content presented at their respective web sites. NTEU is bound by the Employer's rules that govern use of these resources.

Section 8.06

NTEU Representatives may use the Employer's internal mail/distribution system to transmit information to specific named individual bargaining unit employees at no cost. Printed informational materials are to be bundled for delivery by organizational code. A mailing sheet, listing name, room number, and mail stop for each bargaining unit employee at that mail stop shall be attached to each bundle of materials.

Section 8.07

On a quarterly basis, NTEU will be furnished, for its internal use only, on IBM compatible personal computer diskettes, a list of bargaining unit positions. This list shall contain the names, series, grades, position titles and organizational locations (i.e., mail route symbols) of all bargaining unit employees, and will indicate which employees have authorized dues withholding.

Section 8.08

NTEU will be provided one copy of all DOE Headquarters publications concerning personnel policies, practices or general conditions of employment.

Section 8.09

A. The Employer will print enough copies of this Agreement to provide one copy to all present and future bargaining unit employees and managers, and 100 copies to NTEU. When requested, this Agreement will be made available on audio-tape, in large print, and in braille.

B. In addition, this Agreement will be posted, in the most economical way possible, on LAN Bulletin Boards maintained by first tier organizations in Headquarters.

Section 8.10

NTEU may have exclusive use of the following bulletin boards to post material:

A. In addition to those now in use, NTEU may have exclusive use of those bulletin boards which it purchases for installation in the Employer's work areas. The Employer will provide for such installation. In the Forrestal Building, NTEU will be provided with keys to half of each locked bulletin board. NTEU will be given exclusive use of the cork side of the bulletin board.

B. There shall be a large bulletin board or other device in each of the satellite office locations where all DOE vacancy announcements and other informational bulletins shall be posted.

Section 8.11

It will not violate this Agreement for NTEU to distribute any material in non-work areas during scheduled work hours provided that both the employee distributing and the employee receiving such material are on their own time. Non-work areas are those areas on the Employer's premises where badges need not be displayed according to the security procedures in effect on the date this Agreement becomes effective. Before distributing in areas occupied by commercial enterprises, NTEU must obtain the approval of the lessor or operating agency.

Section 8.12

It will not violate this Agreement or any DOE Headquarters regulation for NTEU to distribute any material outside the work (i.e., "badge") area.

NTEU may distribute material on the Employer's premises inside the work (i.e., "badge") area, before or after the scheduled work hours, provided:

A. Both the employee distributing and the employee receiving the material are on their own time; and

B. There shall be no more than five (5) such off-duty distributions per calendar year for local Chapter 228 and no more than five (5) such off-duty distributions per calendar year for local Chapter 213.

Section 8.13

The Employer will ensure that NTEU has an opportunity to participate in the annual health fair it holds each year in conjunction with the health benefits open season.

Section 8.14

When NTEU is furnished a room, in accordance with the provisions in Section 8.03 of this article, it may use any audio-visual equipment already in the room or may check out such equipment for use (subject to availability) so long as a qualified operator, on his or her own time, operates the equipment. NTEU shall have access to the Forrestal/Germantown "TV" rooms for one joint meeting per quarter. NTEU is responsible for the safe and competent operation of the Employer's equipment and assumes full liability for any damage incurred to equipment while in its possession.

Section 8.15

The Employer agrees to list the name, office telephone number, and NTEU office telephone number of the presidents, chief stewards, and stewards of NTEU Chapters 213 and 228 in the Employer's telephone directory.